H.—IB

18S0. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION. PAPERS RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ZEALAND. [In continuation of H.-3, Sess. 1., 1879.]

Presented to loth Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. The Secbetaby of State for the Colonies to His Excellency the Goveenoe. Sib,— Downing Street, 22nd July, 1879. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch No. 16, of the 13th of May last, transmitting a memorandum from Sir George Grey, submitting, with a recommendation from your Government, a petition addressed to the Queen by the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and Council of the University of Otago, praying for a grant of Letters Patent providing for the recognition of the degrees _of the University, in the same manner as if they had been granted by any University of the United Kingdom. 2. I have also received your despatch of the 20th of May (No. 21), enclosing a petition to the Queen from the Governors of the Canterbury College, praying Her Majesty not to grant a charter to any educational body in New Zealand other than the New Zealand University; together with a copy of the resolutions adopted by the Senate of the University of New Zealand, expressing the opinion that it is undesirable that the power to confer University degrees should be possessed by more than one institution in the colony; and a printed address by the A ttornejr-General, containing information on the subject of the relations between the New Zealand and Otago Universities. 3. I request that you will inform the Chancellor of Otago University, and the Governors of Canterbury College, that their petitions have been laid before the Queen, but that, having regard to the objections pointed out in Lord Kimberley's despatch of the 31st of January, 1873 (No. 8), to the grant of a charter to more than one University in New Zealand, and not being able to find anything in the present circumstances which would justify me in departing from the decision then arrived at, or in recommending the establishment of more than one chartered University in any Australasian Colony, I have not thought it my duty to advise Her Majesty to authorize any steps towards granting Letters Patent to the University of Otago. I have, &c, Governor Sir Hercules Eobinson, G.C.M.G., &c. M. E. Hicks Beach.

No. 2. The A&ent-Genebal to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey. Sib, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, 6th August, 1879. Referring to your letter (No. 74) of the 19th May last, respecting the extension of the Gilchrist Educational Trust, I am glad to inform you that at length I can report to you a successful issue to the efforts which I have made in this matter. The Secretary to the Trust has written to me that the Gilchrist Trustees have agreed to transfer to New Zealand the biennial scholarship of £100 per annum for three years, which was twelve years ago assigned to the University of Melbourne, but which has never been claimed until the present year. The Secretary also states that the terms on which this scholarship will be awarded have not yet been definitely arranged, but that he has already communicated on the subject with Mr. Carleton, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand, and will arrange them with him. The Secretary further remarks that, as the first scholarship will not be awarded until 1881 (or probably on the basis of a matriculation examination to be held in January, 1882), the matter does not press. I have, &c, Julius Vogel, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Agent-General.